Seat control device

ABSTRACT

A seat control device has an input unit for performing at least one of an operation to incline and move a first seat, and a drive control unit for at least one of inclining and moving the first seat based on an output of the input unit. The seat control device has an open/close detection unit for detecting an opened or closed state of a door for getting on and off to and from the first seat, an angle detection unit for detecting an angle of a backrest of the first seat; and a seating detection unit for detecting presence/absence of seating at a second seat positioned behind the first seat. When the open/close detection unit detects that the door is in the opened state, the angle detection unit detects an angle of a backrest of the first seat. When the detected angle is larger than a predetermined angle, the seating detection unit detects the presence or absence of seating at the second seat. The drive control unit is driven based on the detection of absence of seating to return the backrest of the first seat to an original orientation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a seat control device for controllingan angle of a backrest of a seat arranged inside a vehicle and/or ahorizontal position of the seat.

2. Related Art

Most seats arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile include a seatcontrol device for inclining a backrest of the seat forward or backwardand moving the seat in a horizontal direction for every seat.

Thus, in a front seat and a back seat in a front-back relationship witheach other, for example, when a passenger gets on and off or whenloading and unloading a baggage to and from the back seat, the backrestof the front seat is inclined forward or the relevant back seat ishorizontally moved forward by the seat control device so that thepassenger can easily get on and off or the baggage can be easily loadedand unloaded with respect to the back seat.

Similarly, when the passenger gets on and off or when loading andunloading the baggage to and from the front seat, the back seat of thefront seat is inclined backward or the relevant front seat ishorizontally moved backward by the seat control device so that thepassenger can easily get on and off or the baggage can be easily loadedand unloaded with respect to the front seat.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2542578 discloses a movementdevice of a passenger seat of a two-door vehicle configured to detectwhether or not a passenger is riding on a passenger seat, and stop thepassenger seat at a predetermined position on a back side than a frontend position when an operation of moving the passenger seat forward isperformed with the passenger riding on the passenger seat, and stop thepassenger seat at the front end position when an operation of moving thepassenger seat forward is performed without the passenger riding on thepassenger seat.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-28998 discloses a vehicleseat adjustment device configured to detect whether a passenger ispresent at the back seat, detect whether the door on the passenger seatside is opened, and incline the backrest of the passenger seat forwardand move the passenger seat to a predetermined position on a front sidewhen detecting that the passenger is not present at the passenger seat.

Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 4-72032 discloses apassenger seat device configured to detect whether the passenger ispresent at the back seat, and automatically move the passenger seatforward and/or automatically incline the head rest forward whendetecting that the passenger is not at the passenger seat.

Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 61-115735 discloses acontrol device including a switch device for stopping the movement of adriver seat at a position operable by a person seated at the back seatof the driver seat.

SUMMARY

For example, in a two-door automobile without a back door, a passengerof a back seat can easily get off by inclining a backrest of a frontseat forward when getting off from a door next to the front seat, but itis inconvenient if the backrest of the front seat remains in theforward-inclined state even after the passenger got off. Furthermore,when unloading a large baggage and the like from the front seat, thebaggage and the like can be easily unloaded by inclining the backrest ofthe front seat backward, but it is also inconvenient if the backrest ofthe front seat remains in the backward-inclined state. A seat controldevice needs to be operated to return the inclined backrest to anoriginal position, but this is troublesome to the passenger. This mayalso be the case when the front seat is moved forward or backward.

One or more embodiments of the present invention provides a seat controldevice capable of returning the angle of the back seat of the seat andthe position of the seat without requiring the operation of thepassenger.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a seat controldevice includes an input unit for performing an operation to inclineand/or move a first seat; and a drive control unit for inclining and/ormoving the first seat based on an output of the input unit. The seatcontrol device is provided with: an open/close detection unit fordetecting an opened/closed state of a door for getting on and off to andfrom the first seat; an angle detection unit for detecting an angle of abackrest of the first seat; and a seating detection unit for detectingpresence/absence of seating at a second seat positioned behind the firstseat.

When detected that the door is in the opened state by the open/closedetection unit, an angle of a backrest of the first seat is detected bythe angle detection unit, and when the detected angle is beyond apredetermined angle, the presence/absence of seating at the second seatis detected by the seating detection unit. The drive control unit isdriven based on the detection of absence of seating to return thebackrest of the first seat to an original position.

Thus, when the angle of the backrest of the first seat exceeds apredetermined angle and seating is absent at the second seat, thebackrest can be automatically returned to the original orientation bythe drive control unit without requiring the operation by the passenger.

In the seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention, when absence of seating is detected by the seatingdetection unit, whether or not the door is closed is detected by theopen/close detection unit, and the drive control unit may be drivenbased on the detection of the closed state of the door to return thebackrest of the first seat to the original orientation.

Thus, the backrest can be automatically returned to the originalorientation at the time point the passenger of the back seat got offfrom the vehicle and the closed state of the door is confirmed.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a lock detection unit for detectingpresence/absence of lock of the door, and when absence of seating isdetected by the seating detection unit, whether or not the door islocked is detected by the lock detection unit, and the drive controlunit may be driven based on the detection of the lock of the door toreturn the backrest of the first seat to the original position.

Thus, the backrest can be automatically returned to the originalorientation at the time point the passenger of the back seat got offfrom the vehicle and the locked state of the door is confirmed.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a timing unit for timing time, and whenabsence of seating is detected by the seating detection unit, timing bythe timing unit is started, and the drive control unit may be drivenbased on the time timed by the timing unit exceeding a predeterminedtime to return the backrest of the first seat to the original position.

Thus, the backrest can be automatically returned to the originalposition at the time point the time necessary for the passenger of theback seat to get off from the vehicle after standing up from the seathas elapsed.

The seat control device according to the present includes a storage unitfor storing the angle of the backrest of the first seat when detectedthat the door is in the opened state by the open/close detection unit,and when returning the backrest of the first seat to the originalposition, the backrest may be returned so that the angle of the backrestof the first seat becomes the angle stored in the storage unit.

Thus, when the backrest is returned to the original orientation, theangle of the backrest can be made to the same angle as the angle of whenthe door is opened.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a position detection unit for detecting ahorizontal position of the first seat in place of the angle detectionunit, and when detected that the door is in the opened state by theopen/close detection unit, a horizontal position of the first seat isdetected by the position detection unit, when the detected position isbeyond a predetermined position, the presence/absence of seating at thesecond seat is detected by the seating detection unit, and the drivecontrol unit may be driven based on the detection of absence of seatingto return the first seat to an original position.

Thus, when the first seat is at a position beyond a predeterminedposition and the seating at the second seat is absent, the first seatcan be automatically returned to the original position by the drivecontrol unit without requiring the operation by the passenger.

In the seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention, when absence of seating is detected by the seatingdetection unit, whether or not the door is in the closed state isdetected by the open/close detection unit, and the drive control unitmay be driven based on the detection of the closed state of the door toreturn the first seat to the original position.

Thus, the backrest can be automatically returned to the originalorientation at the time point the passenger of the back seat got offfrom the vehicle and the closed state of the door is confirmed.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a lock detection unit for detectingpresence/absence of lock of the door, and when absence of seating isdetected by the seating detection unit, whether or not the door islocked is detected by the lock detection unit, and the drive controlunit may be driven based on the detection of the lock of the door toreturn the first seat to the original position.

Thus, the first seat can be automatically returned to the originalposition at the time point the passenger of the back seat got off fromthe vehicle and the locked state of the door is confirmed.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a timing unit for timing time, and whenabsence of seating is detected by the seating detection unit, timing bythe timing unit is started, and the drive control unit may be drivenbased on the time timed by the timing unit exceeding a predeterminedtime to return the first seat to the original position.

Thus, the first seat can be automatically returned to the originalposition at the time point the time necessary for the passenger of theback seat to get off from the vehicle after standing up from the seathas elapsed.

The seat control device according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention includes a storage unit for storing a horizontalposition of the first seat when detected that the door is in the openedstate by the open/close detection unit, and when returning the firstseat to the original position, the first seat may be returned to theposition stored in the storage unit.

Thus, when the first position is returned to the original position, theposition of the first seat can be made to the same position of when thedoor is opened.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, theinclined backrest can be automatically returned to the originalorientation and the moved seat can be automatically returned to theoriginal position without requiring the operation by the passenger,thereby enhancing convenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle applied with one or more embodimentsof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing one example of a positional relationship of afront row seat and a back row seat arranged in a compartment of thevehicle and an inclination range of the backrest of the front seat;

FIG. 3 is a view showing one example of a positional relationship of afront row seat and a back row seat arranged in a compartment of avehicle and a movement range of the front row seat;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a seat control device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view showing one example of an input unit;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the seat control deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of the seat control deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of the seat control deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the seat control deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 9 described below, same reference symbols are denoted forthe same or corresponding portions.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle 200 applied with a seat controldevice according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

In the figure, reference symbols 21 a and 21 b denote seats arranged ina first row, 21 c denotes a seat of a second row arranged behind theseat 21 a, and 21 d denotes a seat of a second row arranged behind theseat 21 b.

Reference symbol 22 a denotes a passenger seated at the seat 21 a, 22 bdenotes a passenger seated at the seat 21 b, 22 c denotes a passengerseated at the seat 21 c, and 22 d denotes a passenger seated at the seat21 d.

Reference symbol 23 a denotes a door for getting on and off to the seat21 a and/or the seat 21 c, and 23 b denotes a door for getting on andoff to the seat 21 b and/or the seat 21 d.

Specifically, the passenger 22 a and the passenger 22 c mainly get onand off from the door 23 a, and the passenger 22 b and the passenger 22d mainly get on and off from the door 23 b. The passenger may get on andoff to the seat 21 d from the door 23 a, and similarly, get on and offto the seat 21 c from the door 23 b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seats 21 a and 21 b are arranged with thebackrest inclinable and the seats 21 c and 21 d are arranged with thebackrest fixed in the compartment of the vehicle 200, as shown in thefigure. Note that the term “incline” in one or more embodiments of thepresent invention means that the backrest moves to incline forward orbackward with a supporting point at the lower part as the center.

In FIG. 2, reference symbol 21 m denotes the backrest of the seat 21 a,21 n denotes the backrest of the seat 21 b, V1 denotes an incliningdirection to the front side of the backrests 21 m and 21 n, and W1denotes an inclining direction to the back side of the backrests 21 mand 21 n.

Moreover, reference symbol c1 denotes a suitable position of thebackrest 21 m of the seat 21 a and the backrest 21 n of the seat 21 b inthe compartment of the vehicle 200 (FIG. 1), where the backrests 21 mand 21 n are normally at such a position. In other words, c1 is areference position of the backrests 21 m and 21 n.

Reference symbol θ1 denotes an inclination allowable angle (hereinafterreferred to as “forward allowable angle”) of the backrests 21 m and 21 nin the V1 direction, and θ2 denotes an inclination allowable angle(hereinafter referred to as “backward allowable angle”) of the backrests21 m and 21 n in the W1 direction. Specifically, θ1 indicates the anglefrom position c1 to position f1, and θ2 indicates the angle fromposition c1 to position b2. Note that the allowable angle referred toherein means a maximum angle at which the passengers 22 a and 22 b cannaturally sit on the seats 21 a and 21 b.

Reference symbol θ11 denotes an inclination limit angle (hereinafterreferred to as “forward limit angle”) of the backrests 21 m and 21 n inthe V1 direction, and θ12 denotes an inclination limit angle(hereinafter referred to as “backward limit angle”) of the backrests 21m and 21 n in the W1 direction. Specifically, θ11 indicates an anglefrom position c1 to position f11, and θ12 indicates an angle fromposition c1 to position b12. Note that the limit angle referred toherein means the angle at which the backrests 21 m and 21 n can be nofurther inclined in terms of mechanism.

Reference symbol M1 represents the range (hereinafter referred to as“inclination range”) from position f11 to position b12, and backrests 21m and 21 n can be inclined within the inclination range M1 (i.e., in arange of θ11+θ12). The inclination angle is in a range of 0 to θ11 ifthe backrests 21 m and 21 n are inclined forward (V1 direction) fromposition c1, and the inclination angle is in the range of 0 to θ12 ifthe backrests 21 m and 21 n are inclined backward (W1 direction) fromposition c1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the seats 21 a and 21 b are arranged in thecompartment of the vehicle 200 so as to be horizontally movable, and theseats 21 c and 21 d are arranged in the compartment of the vehicle 200in a fixed state, as shown in the figure.

In FIG. 3, reference symbol V2 denotes a forward-movement direction ofthe seats 21 a and 21 b in the horizontal movement, and W2 denotes abackward-movement direction of the seats 21 a and 21 b in the horizontalmovement.

Reference symbol F3 denotes a forward-movement allowable position(hereinafter referred to as “forward allowable position”) of the seats21 a and 21 b in the V2 direction, and B4 denotes a backward-movementallowable position (hereinafter referred to as “backward allowableposition”) of the seats 21 a and 21 b in the W2 direction. Note that theallowable position referred to herein is a maximum position thepassengers 22 a and 22 b can naturally seat on the seats 21 a and 21 b.

Reference symbol F13 denotes a forward-movement limit position(hereinafter referred to as “front end position”) of the seats 21 a and21 b in the V2 direction, and B14 denotes a backward-movement limitposition (hereinafter referred to as “back end position”) of the seats21 a and 21 b in the W2 direction. The limit position referred to hereinis the position the seats 21 a and 21 b cannot move any further in termsof mechanism.

Reference symbol M2 denotes a range from the front end position F13 tothe back end position B14 (hereinafter referred to as “movement range”),and the seats 21 a and 21 b are movable within the movement range M2.Reference symbol C3 denotes a center position in the movement range M2,and center position C3 is the suitable position of the seats 21 a and 21b in the compartment of the vehicle 200. The seats 21 a and 21 b arenormally at such position C3. In other words, C3 is the referenceposition of the seats 21 a and 21 b.

In the embodiment described below, when the front seat is the seat 21 athe back seat is the seat 21 c, and when the front seat is the seat 21 bthe back seat is the seat 21 d. Thus, the seats 21 a and 21 b configureone embodiment of a first seat in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention, and the seats 21 c and 21 d configure one embodiment of asecond seat in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

The doors 23 a and 23 b configure one embodiment of a door for gettingon and off to and from the first seat in one or more embodiments of thepresent invention, and the backrests 21 m and 21 n configure oneembodiment of a backrest of the first seat in one or more embodiments ofthe present invention.

The angle θ1 corresponds to a “predetermined angle” when the backrest isinclined forward in one or more embodiments of the present invention,and the angle θ2 corresponds to a “predetermined angle” when thebackrest is inclined backward in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

The position F3 corresponds to a “predetermined position” when the firstseat is moved forward in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention, and the position B4 corresponds to a “predetermined position”when the first seat is moved backward in one or more embodiments of thepresent invention

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a seat controldevice according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

In the figure, reference symbol 100 denotes a seat control device forcontrolling the seats 21 a and 21 b, where the seat control device 100includes a controller 11, input units 12 a and 12 b, open/closedetection units 13 a and 13 b, lock detection units 14 a and 14 b, angledetection units 15 a and 15 b, position detection units 16 a and 16 b,drive control units 17 a and 17 b, seating detection units 18 a and 18b, a storage unit 19, and a timing unit 20.

The controller 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like,and controls each unit of the seat control device 100 in an integratedmanner.

The input units 12 a and 12 b (hereinafter collectively denoted asreference symbol 12) include a switch and the like of a shape shown inFIG. 5, and are arranged on the inner side of the doors 23 a and 23 b,respectively.

In FIG. 5, O to T are operation directions of the input unit 12 set bycontrol, where the input unit 12 is turned in the S direction wheninclining the backrest of the seat in the V1 direction (FIG. 2), and isturned in the T direction when inclining the backrest in the W1direction (FIG. 2).

The input unit 12 is pushed in the O direction when moving the seatforward in the V2 direction (FIG. 3), and pushed in the P direction whenmoving the seat backward in the W2 direction (FIG. 3). Furthermore, theinput unit 12 is pushed in the Q direction when perpendicularly movingthe seat upward, and pushed in the R direction when perpendicularlymoving the seat downward. Note that the pushing directions Q and R areirrelevant to one or more embodiments of the present invention, and thusthe description thereof will not be given.

An operation of controlling the seat 21 a (e.g., inclination of backrestand horizontal movement of seat) is performed with the input unit 12 a,and an operation of controlling the seat 21 b is performed with theinput unit 12 b. The input units 12 a and 12 b thus configure oneembodiment of an input unit in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

The open/close detection units 13 a and 13 b include an open/closesensor (not shown) and the like. The open/close detection unit 13 adetects whether or not the door 23 a is in the closed state, and theopen/close detection unit 13 b detects whether or not the door 23 b isin the closed state. The open/close detection units 13 a and 13 b thusconfigure one embodiment of an open/close detection unit in one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

The lock detection units 14 a and 14 b include a switch and the like.The lock detection unit 14 a detects whether or not the door 23 a islocked, and the lock detection unit 14 b detects whether or not the door23 b is locked. The lock detection units 14 a and 14 b thus configureone embodiment of a lock detection unit in one or more embodiments ofthe present invention.

The angle detection units 13 a and 13 b include an angle sensor (notshown) and the like. The angle detection unit 13 a sequentially detectsthe angle (angle from c1) of the backrest within the inclination rangeM1 (FIG. 2) when the backrest 21 m is inclined in the V1 or the W1direction, and the angle detection unit 13 b sequentially detects theangle (angle from c1) of the backrest within the inclination range M1when the backrest 21 n is inclined in the V1 or the W1 direction. Theangle detection units 15 a and 15 b thus configure one embodiment of theangle detection unit in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

The position detection units 16 a and 16 b include a position sensor(not shown) and the like. The position detection unit 16 a sequentiallydetects the position (distance from C3) of the seat within the movementrange M2 (FIG. 3) when the seat 21 a is moved in the V2 or the W2direction, and the position detection unit 16 b sequentially detects theposition (distance from C3) of the seat within the movement range M2when the seat 21 b is moved in the V2 or the W2 direction. The positiondetection units 16 a and 16 b thus configure one embodiment of aposition detection unit in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

The drive control units 17 a and 17 b include an electronic motor (notshown) and the like. The drive control unit 17 a inclines the backrest21 m in the V1 or the W1 direction, or moves the seat 21 a forward orbackward in the V2 or the W2 direction based on the output of the inputunit 12 a. Similarly, the drive control unit 17 b inclines the backrest21 b in the V1 or the W1 direction, or moves the seat 21 b forward orbackward in the V2 or the W2 direction based on the output of the inputunit 12 b. The drive control units 17 a and 17 b thus configure oneembodiment of a drive control unit in one or more embodiments of thepresent invention.

The seating detection units 18 a and 18 b include a pressure sensor (notshown) and the like. An optical sensor, an imaging device (camera), andthe like may be used in place of the pressure sensor. The seatingdetection unit 18 c detects whether or not the seat 21 c is seated, andthe seating detection unit 18 d detects whether or not the seat 21 d isseated. The seating detection units 18 a and 18 b thus configure oneembodiment of the seating detection unit in one or more embodiments ofthe present invention.

The storage unit 19 includes an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable andProgrammable Read Only Memory) and the like. If detected that the doors23 a and 23 b are in the opened state by the open/close detection units13 a and 13 b, the angles (angle from c1) of the backrests 21 m and 21 nat the time of detection is stored in the storage unit 19. The storageunit 19 thus configures one embodiment of a storage unit in one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

The timing unit 20 includes a timer (not shown) and the like. The timingunit 20 starts timing from a time point the absence of seating at theseats 21 c and 21 d is detected by the seating detection units 18 a and18 b. The timing unit 20 thus configures one embodiment of a timing unitin one or more embodiments of the present invention.

In the seat control device 100 of the present embodiment, for example,the passenger 22 a (FIG. 1) operates the input unit 12 a when incliningthe backrest 21 m of the seat 21 a in the V1 or the W1 direction.Similarly, the passenger 22 a operates the input unit 12 a whenhorizontally moving the seat 21 a in the V2 or the W2 direction. Notethat when inclining the backrest 21 n of the seat 21 b in the V1 or theW1 direction, or when horizontally moving the seat 21 b in the V2 or theW2 direction as well, the operation is similar to the backrest 21 m andthe seat 21 a other than that the input unit is 12 b, and thus thedescription thereof will not be given.

When the passenger 22 a turns the input unit 12 a in the S direction(hereinafter referred to as “forward inclination direction”) of FIG. 3,the backrest 21 m is inclined in the V1 direction within the inclinationrange M1, and when the passenger 22 a turns the input unit 12 a in the Tdirection (hereinafter referred to as “backward inclination direction”)of FIG. 3, the backrest 21 m is inclined in the W1 direction within theinclination range M1.

When the passenger 22 a pushes the input unit 12 a in the O direction(hereinafter referred to as “forward”) of FIG. 3, the seat 21 a is movedforward in the V2 direction within the movement range M2, and when thepassenger 22 a pushes the input unit 12 a in the P direction(“hereinafter referred to as “backward”) of FIG. 3, the seat 21 a ismoved backward in the W2 direction within the movement range M2.

In a case of the present embodiment, an operation amount of the inputunit is the turn angle or the pushing time in the predetermineddirection with respect to the input unit. Thus, the backrest 21 minclines by a predetermined angle in the V1 or the W1 direction based onthe turn angle, and the seat 21 a moves by a predetermined distance inthe V2 or the W2 direction based on the pushing time.

Thus, when the operation amount in inclining the backrest is large, thatis, when the turn angle in the forward inclination direction at theinput unit 12 a is large, the backrest 21 m is inclined beyond theforward allowable angle θ1, and when the turn angle in the backwardinclination direction at the input unit 12 a is large, the backrest 21 mis inclined beyond the backward allowable angle θ2.

Similarly, when the operation amount in horizontally moving the seat islarge, that is, when the pushing time towards the front side at theinput unit 12 a is long, the seat 21 a is moved forward beyond theforward allowable position F3, and when the pushing time towards theback side at the input unit 12 a is long, the seat 21 a is movedbackward beyond the backward allowable position B4.

When the passenger 22 a inclines the backrest 21 m beyond the forwardallowable angle θ1 or the backward allowable angle θ2 after getting offfrom the vehicle 200, conventionally, the passenger him/herself neededto operate the input unit 12 a to return the backrest 21 m to an anglenot exceeding the forward allowable angle θ1 or the backward allowableangle θ2.

Similarly, when the passenger 22 a moves the seat 21 a beyond theforward allowable position F3 or the backward allowable position B4after getting off from the vehicle 200, conventionally, the passengerhim/herself needed to operate the input unit 12 a to return the seat 21a to a position not beyond the forward allowable position F3 or thebackward allowable position B4.

In the seat control device 100 serving as an embodiment of the presentinvention, the seat control described below is performed to return theangle of the backrest (e.g., backrest 21 m) of the seat to the frontside and the position of the seat (e.g., seat 21 a) to the front sidewithout requiring the operation by the passenger (e.g., passenger 22 a)in the two seats (e.g., seat 21 a and seat 21 c) in a front-backrelationship to each other.

The operation of the seat control device (FIG. 4) serving as theembodiment of the present invention will now be described with referenceto the drawings.

In the description below, only the control operation related to the twoseats (e.g., seat 21 a and seat 21 c in FIG. 1) in the front-backrelationship to each other will be described. The two seats (e.g., seat21 a and seat 21 b in FIG. 1) in a parallel relationship, as well as thetwo seats (e.g., seat 21 a and seat 21 d in FIG. 1) not in thefront-back relationship or the parallel relationship are irrelevant tothe present invention, and thus the description thereof will not begiven.

In the compartment of the vehicle 200 (FIG. 1), the seats in thefront-back relationship to each other are the seat 21 a and the seat 21c, as well as, the seat 21 b and the seat 21 d, where the operation ofthe seat control device 100 described below is the same in either case,and thus the control operation related to the seat 21 b and the seat 21d will not be given in the following description.

(1) When Inclining Backrest of Front Seat

First, first to fourth examples of when inclining the backrest of thefront seat will be described using a flowchart of FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, the first example is steps S1 to S3 and S5; and the secondexample is steps S1 to S3, S4 a, and S5. The third example is steps S1to S3, S4 b, and S5; and the fourth example is steps S1 to S3, S4 c, andS5. Thus, steps S1 to S3 and S5 are common in all of the first to fourthexamples.

In step S1 of FIG. 6, whether or not the door for getting on and off toand from the front seat is in the opened sate is verified. Specifically,the opened/closed state of the door 23 a (FIG. 4) for getting on and offto and from the seat 21 a is detected by the open/close detection unit13 a (FIG. 4) under the control of the controller 11 (FIG. 4), where theprocess proceeds to step S2 if the opened state is detected (step S1:YES). If the opened state is not detected, that is, if the closed stateis detected (step S1: NO), the seat control for this time is terminatedto prepare for the next seat control.

In step S2, whether or not the backrest of the front seat is inclinedbeyond the allowable angle described above is verified. Specifically,the angle of the backrest 21 m (FIG. 4) of the seat 21 a is detected bythe angle detection unit 15 a (FIG. 4) under the control of thecontroller 11, and whether or not the backrest 21 m is inclined in theV1 (FIG. 2) direction or the W1 (FIG. 2) direction beyond the forwardallowable angle θ1 (FIG. 2) or the backward allowable angle θ2 (FIG. 2)is verified by the controller 11 based on the detection result. Theprocess proceeds to step S3 if the backrest 21 m is inclined beyondeither one of the allowable angles as a result of the verification (stepS2: YES), and if either allowable angle is exceeded (step S2: NO), theseat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the next seatcontrol.

In step S3, whether seated at the back seat provided behind the frontseat is verified. Specifically, the presence/absence of seating at theseat 21 c provided behind the seat 21 a is detected by the seatingdetection unit 18 c (FIG. 4) under the control of the controller 11. Theprocess proceeds to the step corresponding to the first to fourthexamples if the absence of seating at the seat 21 c is detected (stepS3: YES) as a result of the detection, and if the absence of seating atthe seat 21 c is not detected, that is, the presence of seating isdetected (step S3: NO), the seat control for this time is terminated toprepare for the next seat control.

Specifically, if the determination result of step S3 is YES, the processproceeds to step S5 in the first example and the process proceeds tostep S4 a in the second example. Similarly, the process proceeds to stepS4 b in the third example, and the process proceeds to step S4 c in thefourth example.

In a case of the first example, the process directly proceeds to stepS5, and the backrest of the front seat is returned to an originalorientation. The original orientation in this case is the orientation ofwhen the backrest is at the position of c1 (FIG. 2). Specifically, thedrive control unit 17 a (FIG. 4) is driven under the control of thecontroller 11, and the backrest 21 m of the seat 21 a in the angle rangefrom the forward allowable angle θ1 to the forward limit angle θ11 (FIG.2) or the angle range from the backward allowable angle θ2 to thebackward limit angle θ12 (FIG. 2) is inclined to the position of c1. Thebackrest 21 m is then returned to the original orientation. As soon asthe return of the backrest 21 m is completed, the seat control for thistime is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the second example, whether or not the door for getting onand off to and from the front seat is in the closed state is verified instep S4 a. Specifically, the opened/closed state of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11,where the process proceeds to step S5 if the closed state is detected(step S4 a: YES), and the returning operation of the backrest 21 m isperformed. If the closed state is not detected, that is, if the openedstate is detected (S4 a: NO), the seat control for this time isterminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the third example, whether or not the door for getting onand off to and from the front seat is in the locked state is verified instep S4 b. Specifically, the presence of lock of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the front seat 21 a is detected by thelock detection unit 14 a (FIG. 4) under the control of the controller11, where the process proceeds to step S5 if the locked state isdetected (step S4 b: YES), and the returning operation of the backrest21 m is performed. If the locked state is not detected, that is, if theunlocked state is detected (step S4 b: NO), the seat control for thistime is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the fourth example, timing is started in step S4 c, andwhether or not the timed time exceeds a predetermined time is verified.Specifically, the timing unit 20 (FIG. 4) starts timing based on thedetection of the absence of seating at the seat 21 c in the seatingdetection unit 18 c, and terminates the timing based on the detection ofthe presence of seating. The process proceeds to step S5 if the timedtime by the timing unit 20 exceeds the predetermined time (step S4 c:YES), and the returning operation of the backrest 21 m is performed. Ifthe predetermined time is not exceeded (step S4 c: NO), the seat controlfor this time is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

Fifth to eighth examples of when inclining the backrest of the frontseat will be described using a flowchart of FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, the fifth example is steps S11 to S14 and S16; and the sixthexample is steps S11 to S14, S15 a, and S16. The seventh example issteps S11 to S14, S15 b, and S16; and the eighth example is steps S11 toS14, S15 c, and S16. Thus, steps S11 to S14 and S16 are common in all ofthe fifth to eighth examples.

In step S11 of FIG. 7, the opened/closed state of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11,similar to step S1 of FIG. 6, where the process proceeds to step S12 ifthe opened state is detected (step S11: YES), and if the opened state isnot detected, that is, if the closed state is detected (step S11: NO),the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the nextseat control.

In step S12, the angle of the backrest of the front seat when the openedstate of the door is detected in step S11 is stored. Specifically, whenthe opened state of the door 23 a is detected by the open/closedetection unit 13 a, the angle of the backrest 21 m is detected by theangle detection unit 15 a under the control of the controller 11, andstored in the storage unit 19 (FIG. 4).

In step S13, the angle of the backrest 21 m of the seat 21 a is detectedby the angle detection unit 15 a under the control of the controller 11,and whether or not the backrest 21 m is inclined in the V1 direction orthe W1 direction beyond the forward allowable angle θ1 or the backwardallowable angle θ2 is verified by the controller 11 based on thedetection result, similar to step S2 of FIG. 6. The process proceeds tostep S14 if the backrest 21 m is inclined beyond either one of theallowable angles (step S13: YES) as a result of the verification, and ifthe backrest is inclined without exceeding either allowable angles (stepS13: NO), the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare forthe next seat control.

In step S14, the presence/absence of seating at the seat 21 c isdetected by the seating detection unit 18 c under the control of thecontroller 11, similar to step S3 of FIG. 6. The process proceeds to thestep corresponding to the fifth to eighth examples if the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected (step S14: YES) as a result of thedetection, and if the absence of seating at the seat 21 c is notdetected, that is, the presence of seating is detected (step S14: NO),the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the nextseat control.

Specifically, if the determination result of step S14 is YES, theprocess proceeds to step S16 in the fifth example and the processproceeds to step S15 a in the sixth example. Similarly, the processproceeds to step S15 b in the seventh example, and the process proceedsto step S15 c in the eighth example.

In a case of the fifth example, the process directly proceeds to stepS16, and the backrest of the front seat is returned to the originalorientation. The original orientation in this case is the orientationcorresponding to the angle stored in the storage unit 19 in step S12.Specifically, the drive control unit 17 a is driven under the control ofthe controller 11, and the backrest 21 m of the seat 21 a in the anglerange from the forward allowable angle θ1 to the forward limit angle θ11(FIG. 2) or the angle range from the backward allowable angle θ2 to thebackward limit angle θ12 (FIG. 2) is inclined until the angle becomesequal to the angle stored in the storage unit 19. In this manner, thebackrest 21 m is returned to the original orientation. As soon as thereturn of the backrest 21 m is completed, the seat control for this timeis terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the sixth example, the opened/closed state of the door 23 afor getting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11 instep S15 a, similar to step S4 a of FIG. 6, where the process proceedsto step S16 if the closed state is detected (step S15 a: YES), and thereturning operation of the backrest 21 m is performed. If the closedstate is not detected, that is, if the opened state is detected (S15 a:NO), the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for thenext seat control.

In a case of the seventh example, the presence of lock of the door 23 afor getting on and off to and from the front seat 21 a is detected bythe lock detection unit 14 a under the control of the controller 11 instep S15 b, similar to step S4 b of FIG. 6, where the process proceedsto step S16 if the locked state is detected (step S15 b: YES), and thereturning operation of the backrest 21 m is performed. If the lockedstate is not detected, that is, if the unlocked state is detected (stepS15 b: NO), the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare forthe next seat control.

In a case of the eighth example, the timing is started based on thedetection of the absence of seating at the seat 21 c in the seatingdetection unit 18 c, and the timing is terminated based on the detectionof the presence of seating in step S15 c, similar to step S4 c of FIG.6. The process proceeds to step S16 if the timed time exceeds thepredetermined time (step S15 c: YES), and the returning operation of thebackrest 21 m is performed. If the predetermined time is not exceeded(step S15 c: NO), the seat control for this time is terminated toprepare for the next seat control.

Therefore, in the embodiment described above, if the angle of thebackrest 21 m of the seat 21 a is beyond a predetermined angle (θ1 orθ2) when the opened state of the door 23 a is detected by the open/closedetection unit 13 a, the backrest 21 m is returned to the originalorientation based on the detection of the absence of seating at the seat21 c by the seating detection unit 18 c. Thus, the backrest 21 m can beautomatically returned to the original orientation without requiring theoperation by the passenger.

For example, when the backrest 21 m of the front seat 21 a is inclinedtowards the front side so that the passenger 22 c of the back seat 21 ccan easily get off from the door 23 a, the backrest 21 m isautomatically inclined backward and returned to the original orientationwith the passenger 22 c absent at the back seat 21 c. Therefore, thebackrest 21 m does not hit the passenger 22 c by the inclination of thebackrest 21 m towards the back side. Even if the backrest 21 m of thefront seat 21 a is inclined backward to facilitate unloading of largebaggage and the like from the door 23 a, the backrest 21 m isautomatically inclined forward and returned to the original orientation.In this case, the person holding on to the backrest 21 m may befrightened if the backrest 21 m is inclined forward with infants andelderly at the back seat 21 c holding on to the backrest 21 m, but theperson holding on to the backrest 21 m will not be frightened since thebackrest is inclined after checking that the passenger of the back seat21 c is absent by the seating detection unit 18 c.

In the second example and the sixth example, when the absence of seatingat the seat 21 c is detected, whether or not the door 23 a is in theclosed state is further detected by the open/close detection unit 13 a,and the backrest 21 m is returned to the original orientation based onthe detection of the closed state of the door 23 a. Thus, the backrest21 m can be automatically returned to the original orientation at thetime point the passenger of the seat 21 c got off from the vehicle andthe closed state of the door 23 a is confirmed.

In the third example and the seventh example, when the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected, whether or not the door 23 a islocked is further detected by the lock detection unit 14 a, and thebackrest 21 m is returned to the original orientation based on thedetection of the lock of the door 23 a. Thus, the backrest 21 m can beautomatically returned to the original orientation at the time point thepassenger of the seat 21 c got off from the vehicle and the locked stateof the door 23 a is confirmed.

In the fourth example and the eighth example, when the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected, the timing by the timing unit 20is started, and the backrest 21 m is returned to the originalorientation based on the timed time exceeding the predetermined time.Thus, the backrest 21 m can be automatically returned to the originalorientation at the time point the time necessary for the passenger ofthe seat 21 c to get off from the vehicle after standing up from theseat has elapsed.

In the fifth example to the eighth example, the angle of the backrest 21m of the seat 21 a when the opened state of the door 23 a is detected bythe open/close detection unit 13 a is stored in the storage unit 19, andwhen the absence of seating at the seat 21 c is detected, the backrest21 m is returned such that the angle of the backrest 21 m becomes theangle stored in the storage unit 19. Thus, when the backrest 21 m isreturned to the original orientation, the angle of the backrest 21 mbecomes the same angle as the angle of when the door 23 a is opened.

(2) When Horizontally Moving Front Seat

Next, ninth to twelfth examples of when horizontally moving the frontseat will be described using a flowchart of FIG. 8.

In FIG. 8, the ninth example is steps S21 to S23 and S25; and the tenthexample is steps S21 to S23, S24 a, and S25. The eleventh example issteps S21 to S23, S24 b, and S25; and the twelfth example is steps S21to S23, S24 c, and S25. Thus, steps S21 to S23 and S25 are common in allof the ninth to twelfth examples.

In step S21 of FIG. 8, whether or not the door for getting on and off toand from the front seat is in the opened state is verified.Specifically, the opened/closed state of the door 23 a for getting onand off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by the open/closedetection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11, where theprocess proceeds to step S22 if the opened state is detected (step S21:YES). If the opened state is not detected, that is, if the closed stateis detected (step S21: NO), the seat control for this time is terminatedto prepare for the next seat control.

In step S22, whether or not the front seat is moved beyond the allowableposition described above is verified. Specifically, the position of theseat 21 a is detected by the position detection unit 16 a (FIG. 4) underthe control of the controller 11, and whether or not the seat 21 a ismoved in the V2 (FIG. 3) direction or the W2 (FIG. 3) direction beyondthe forward allowable position F3 (FIG. 3) or the backward allowableposition B4 (FIG. 3) is verified by the controller 11 based on thedetection result. The process proceeds to step S23 if the seat 21 a ismoved beyond either one of the allowable positions (step S22: YES) as aresult of the verification, and if the position is not beyond eitherallowable positions (step S22: NO), the seat control for this time isterminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In step S23, whether seated at the back seat provided behind the frontseat is verified. Specifically, the presence/absence of seating at theseat 21 c is detected by the seating detection unit 18 c under thecontrol of the controller 11. The process proceeds to the stepcorresponding to the ninth to twelfth examples if the absence of seatingat the seat 21 c is detected (step S23: YES) as a result of thedetection, and if the absence of seating at the seat 21 c is notdetected, that is, the presence of seating is detected (step S23: NO),the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the nextseat control.

Specifically, if the determination result of step S23 is YES, theprocess proceeds to step S25 in the ninth example and the processproceeds to step S24 a in the tenth example. Similarly, the processproceeds to step S24 b in the eleventh example, and the process proceedsto step S24 c in the twelfth example.

In a case of the ninth example, the process directly proceeds to stepS25, and the front seat is returned to the original position. Theoriginal position in this case is the center position of C3 in FIG. 3.Specifically, the drive control unit 17 a is driven under the control ofthe controller 11, and the seat 21 a in the range from the forwardallowable position F3 to the front end position F13 (FIG. 3) or therange from the backward allowable position B4 to the back end positionB14 (FIG. 3) is moved to the center position C3. In this manner, theseat 21 a is returned to the original position. As soon as the return ofthe seat 21 a is completed, the seat control for this time is terminatedto prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the tenth example, whether or not the door for getting onand off to and from the front seat is in the closed state is verified instep S24 a. Specifically, the opened/closed state of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11,where the process proceeds to step S25 if the closed state is detected(step S24 a: YES), and the returning operation of the seat 21 a isperformed. If the closed state is not detected, that is, if the openedstate is detected (S24 a: NO), the seat control for this time isterminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the eleventh example, whether or not the door for gettingon and off to and from the front seat is in the locked state is verifiedin step S24 b. Specifically, the presence of lock of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the front seat 21 a is detected by thelock detection unit 14 a under the control of the controller 11, wherethe process proceeds to step S25 if the locked state is detected (stepS24 b: YES), and the returning operation of the seat 21 a is performed.If the locked state is not detected, that is, if the unlocked state isdetected (step S24 b: NO), the seat control for this time is terminatedto prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the twelfth example, the timing is started in step S24 c,and whether or not the timed time exceeds a predetermined time isverified. Specifically, the timing unit 20 starts timing based on thedetection of the absence of seating at the seat 21 c in the seatingdetection unit 18 c, and terminates the timing based on the detection ofthe presence of seating. The process proceeds to step S25 if the timedtime by the timing unit 20 exceeds the predetermined time (step S24 c:YES), and the returning operation of the seat 21 a is performed. If thepredetermined time is not exceeded (step S24 c: NO), the seat controlfor this time is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

Thirteenth to sixteenth examples of when horizontally moving the frontseat will be described using a flowchart of FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, the thirteenth example is steps S31 to S34 and S36; and thefourteenth example is steps S31 to S34, S35 a, and S36. The fifteenthexample is steps S31 to S34, S35 b, and S36; and the sixteenth exampleis steps S31 to S34, S35 c, and S36. Thus, steps S31 to S34 and S36 arecommon in all of the thirteenth to sixteenth examples.

In step S31 of FIG. 9, the opened/closed state of the door 23 a forgetting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11,similar to step S21 of FIG. 8, where the process proceeds to step S32 ifthe opened state is detected (step S31: YES). If the opened state is notdetected, that is, if the closed state is detected (step S31: NO), theseat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the next seatcontrol.

In step S32, the position of the front seat when the opened state of thedoor is detected in step S31 is stored. Specifically, when the openedstate of the door 23 a is detected by the open/close detection unit 13a, the position of the seat 21 a is detected by the position detectionunit 16 a under the control of the controller 11, and stored in thestorage unit 19.

In step S33, the position of the seat 21 a is detected by the positiondetection unit 16 a under the control of the controller 11, and whetheror not the seat 21 a is moved in the V2 direction or the W2 directionbeyond the forward allowable position F3 or the backward allowableposition B4 is verified by the controller 11 based on the detectionresult, similar to step S22 of FIG. 8. The process proceeds to step S34if the seat 21 a is moved beyond either one of the allowable positions(step S33: YES) as a result of the verification, and if the position isnot beyond either allowable position (step S33: NO), the seat controlfor this time is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In step S34, the presence/absence of seating at the seat 21 c isdetected by the seating detection unit 18 c under the control of thecontroller 11, similar to step S23 of FIG. 8. The process proceeds tothe step corresponding to the thirteenth to sixteenth examples if theabsence of seating at the seat 21 c is detected (step S34: YES) as aresult of the detection, and if the absence of seating at the seat 21 cis not detected, that is, the presence of seating is detected (step S34:NO), the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for thenext seat control.

Specifically, if the determination result of step S34 is YES, theprocess proceeds to step S36 in the thirteenth example and the processproceeds to step S35 a in the fourteenth example. Similarly, the processproceeds to step S35 b in the fifteenth example, and the processproceeds to step S35 c in the sixteenth example.

In a case of the thirteenth example, the process directly proceeds tostep S36, and the front seat is returned to the original position. Theoriginal position in this case is the position stored in the storageunit 19 in step S32. Specifically, the drive control unit 17 a is drivenunder the control of the controller 11, and the seat 21 a in the rangefrom the forward allowable position F3 to the front end position F13 orthe range from the backward allowable position B4 to the back endposition B14 is moved to the position stored in the storage unit 19. Inthis manner, the seat 21 a is returned to the original position. As soonas the return of the seat 21 a is completed, the seat control for thistime is terminated to prepare for the next seat control.

In a case of the fourteenth example, the opened/closed state of the door23 a for getting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a under the control of the controller 11 instep S35 a, similar to step S24 a of FIG. 8, where the process proceedsto step S36 if the closed state is detected (step S35 a: YES), and thereturning operation of the seat 21 a is performed. If the closed stateis not detected, that is, if the opened state is detected (S35 a: NO),the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for the nextseat control.

In a case of the fifteenth example, the presence of lock of the door 23a for getting on and off to and from the seat 21 a is detected by thelock detection unit 14 a under the control of the controller 11 in stepS35 b, similar to step S24 b of FIG. 8, where the process proceeds tostep S36 if the locked state is detected (step S35 b: YES), and thereturning operation of the seat 21 a is performed. If the locked stateis not detected, that is, if the unlocked state is detected (step S35 b:NO), the seat control for this time is terminated to prepare for thenext seat control.

In a case of the sixteenth example, the timing is started based on thedetection of the absence of seating at the seat 21 c in the seatingdetection unit 18 c, and the timing is terminated based on the detectionof the presence of seating in step S35 c, similar to step S24 c of FIG.8. The process proceeds to step S36 if the timed time by the timing unit20 exceeds the predetermined time (step S35 c: YES), and the returningoperation of the seat 21 a is performed. If the predetermined time isnot exceeded (step S35 c: NO), the seat control for this time isterminated to prepare for the next seat control.

Therefore, in the embodiment described above, if the position of theseat 21 a is beyond a predetermined position (F3 or B4) when the openedstate of the door 23 a is detected by the open/close detection unit 13a, the seat 21 a is returned to the original position based on thedetection of the absence of seating at the seat 21 c by the seatingdetection unit 18 c. Thus, the seat 21 a can be automatically returnedto the original position without requiring the operation by thepassenger.

For example, when the front seat 21 a is moved forward so that thepassenger 22 c of the back seat 21 c can easily get off from the door 23a, the seat 21 a is automatically moved backward and returned to theoriginal position with the passenger 22 c absent at the back seat 21 c.Therefore, the backrest 21 m does not hit the passenger 22 c by themovement of the seat 21 a towards the back side. Even if the front seat21 a is moved backward to facilitate unloading of large baggage and thelike from the door 23 a, the seat 21 a is automatically moved forwardand returned to the original position. In this case, the person holdingon to the backrest 21 m may be frightened if the seat 21 a is movedforward with infants and elderly at the back seat 21 c holding on to thebackrest 21 m of the seat 21 a, but the person holding on to thebackrest 21 m will not be frightened since the seat is moved afterchecking that the passenger of the back seat 21 c is absent by theseating detection unit 18 c.

In the tenth example and the fourteenth example, when the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected, whether or not the door 23 a is inthe closed state is further detected by the open/close detection unit 13a, and the seat 21 a is returned to the original position based on thedetection of the closed state of the door 23 a. Thus, the seat 21 a canbe automatically returned to the original position at the time point thepassenger of the seat 21 c got off from the vehicle and the closed stateof the door 23 a is confirmed.

In the eleventh example and the fifteenth example, when the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected, whether or not the door 23 a islocked is further detected by the lock detection unit 14 a, and the seat21 a is returned to the original position based on the detection of thelock of the door 23 a. Thus, the seat 21 a can be automatically returnedto the original position at the time point the passenger of the seat 21c got off from the vehicle and the locked state of the door 23 a isconfirmed.

In the twelfth example and the sixteenth example, when the absence ofseating at the seat 21 c is detected, the timing by the timing unit 20is started, and the seat 21 a is returned to the original position basedon the timed time exceeding the predetermined time. Thus, the seat 21 acan be automatically returned to the original position at the time pointthe time necessary for the passenger of the seat 21 c to get off fromthe vehicle after standing up from the seat has elapsed.

In the thirteenth example to the sixteenth example, the position of theseat 21 a when the opened state of the door 23 a is detected by theopen/close detection unit 13 a is stored in the storage unit 19, andwhen the absence of seating at the seat 21 c is detected, the seat 21 ais returned to the position stored in the storage unit 19. Thus, whenthe seat 21 a is returned to the original position, the position of theseat 21 a becomes the same position of when the door 23 a is opened.

In the present invention, various embodiments other than the above canbe adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the seatcontrol device 100 is applied to the vehicle 200 such as an automobileand the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto, andapplication can be made to railroad vehicles, ships, and othercarriages.

In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 200 is a two-row seatvehicle, but the present invention is not limited thereto, andapplication can be made to a vehicle having two or more rows of seats,and the seat control may be performed at each seat in the front-backrelationship.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, whether or not the backrest21 m of the seat 21 a is inclined beyond the forward allowable angle θ1or the backward allowable angle θ2 is verified in the first to eighthexamples, and whether or not the seat 21 a is moved beyond the forwardallowable position F3 or the backward allowable position B4 is verifiedin the ninth to sixteenth examples, but the present invention is notlimited thereto, and the angle of the backrest 21 m and the position ofthe seat 21 a may be simultaneously verified.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the angle of the backrest 21m at the time of detection is stored in the storage unit 19 when theopened state of the door 23 a is detected by the open/close detectionunit 13 a in the sixth to eighth examples, and the position of the seat21 a at the time of detection is stored in the storage unit 19 when theopened state of the door 23 a is detected by the open/close detectionunit 13 a in the fourteenth to sixteenth examples. However, the presentinvention is not limited thereto, and the angle of the backrest or theposition of the seat at the same seat may be stored for a plurality ofpassengers in the storage unit 19 by separately arranging a store button(not shown), and the like.

1. A seat control device comprising: an input unit for performing atleast one of an operation to incline and move a first seat; and a drivecontrol unit for at least one of inclining and moving the first seatbased on an output of the input unit; the seat control devicecomprising: an open/close detection unit for detecting an opened orclosed state of a door for getting on and off to and from the firstseat; an angle detection unit for detecting an angle of a backrest ofthe first seat; and a seating detection unit for detectingpresence/absence of seating at a second seat positioned behind the firstseat; wherein when the open/close detection unit detects that the dooris in the opened state, the angle detection unit detects an angle of abackrest of the first seat, wherein when the detected angle is largerthan a predetermined angle, the seating detection unit detects thepresence or absence of seating at the second seat, and wherein the drivecontrol unit is driven based on the detection of absence of seating toreturn the backrest of the first seat to an original orientation.
 2. Theseat control device according to claim 1, wherein when the seatingdetection unit detects absence of seating, the open/close detection unitdetects whether the door is closed, and the drive control unit is drivenbased on the detection of the closed state of the door to return thebackrest of the first seat to the original orientation.
 3. The seatcontrol device according to claim 1, further comprising: a lockdetection unit for detecting presence or absence of lock of the door;wherein when the seating detection unit detects absence of seating, thelock detection unit detects whether the door is locked, and the drivecontrol unit is driven based on the detection of the lock of the door toreturn the backrest of the first seat to the original orientation. 4.The seat control device according to claim 1, further comprising: atiming unit for timing time; wherein when the seating detection unitdetects absence of seating, timing by the timing unit is started, andthe drive control unit is driven based on the time timed by the timingunit exceeding a predetermined time to return the backrest of the firstseat to the original orientation.
 5. The seat control device accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a storage unit for storing the angle ofthe backrest of the first seat when the open/close detection unitdetects that the door is in the opened state; wherein when returning thebackrest of the first seat to the original orientation, the backrest isreturned so that the angle of the backrest of the first seat becomes theangle stored in the storage unit.
 6. The seat control device accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a position detection unit for detectinga horizontal position of the first seat in place of the angle detectionunit; wherein when the open/close detection unit detects that the dooris in the opened state, the position detection unit detects a horizontalposition of the first seat, and wherein when the detected position isbeyond a predetermined position, the seating detection unit detects thepresence or absence of seating at the second seat, and the drive controlunit is driven based on the detection of absence of seating to returnthe first seat to an original position.
 7. The seat control deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein when the seating detection unit detectsabsence of seating, the open/close detection unit detects whether thedoor is in the closed state, and the drive control unit is driven basedon the detection of the closed state of the door to return the firstseat to the original position.
 8. The seat control device according toclaim 6, further comprising: a lock detection unit for detectingpresence or absence of lock of the door; wherein when the seatingdetection unit detects absence of seating, the lock detection unitdetects whether the door is locked, and the drive control unit is drivenbased on the detection of the lock of the door to return the first seatto the original position.
 9. The seat control device according to claim6, further comprising: a timing unit for timing time; wherein when theseating detection unit detects absence of seating, timing by the timingunit is started, and the drive control unit is driven based on the timetimed by the timing unit exceeding a predetermined time to return thefirst seat to the original position.
 10. The seat control deviceaccording to claim 6, further comprising: a storage unit for storing ahorizontal position of the first seat when the open/close detection unitdetects that the door is in the opened state; wherein when returning thefirst seat to the original position, the first seat is returned to theposition stored in the storage unit.
 11. The seat control deviceaccording to claim 2, further comprising: a storage unit for storing theangle of the backrest of the first seat when the open/close detectionunit detects that the door is in the opened state; wherein whenreturning the backrest of the first seat to the original orientation,the backrest is returned so that the angle of the backrest of the firstseat becomes the angle stored in the storage unit.
 12. The seat controldevice according to claim 3, further comprising: a storage unit forstoring the angle of the backrest of the first seat when the open/closedetection unit detects that the door is in the opened state; whereinwhen returning the backrest of the first seat to the originalorientation, the backrest is returned so that the angle of the backrestof the first seat becomes the angle stored in the storage unit.
 13. Theseat control device according to claim 4, further comprising: a storageunit for storing the angle of the backrest of the first seat when theopen/close detection unit detects that the door is in the opened state;wherein when returning the backrest of the first seat to the originalorientation, the backrest is returned so that the angle of the backrestof the first seat becomes the angle stored in the storage unit.
 14. Theseat control device according to claim 7, further comprising: a storageunit for storing a horizontal position of the first seat when theopen/close detection unit detects that the door is in the opened state;wherein when returning the first seat to the original position, thefirst seat is returned to the position stored in the storage unit. 15.The seat control device according to claim 8, further comprising: astorage unit for storing a horizontal position of the first seat whenthe open/close detection unit detects that the door is in the openedstate; wherein when returning the first seat to the original position,the first seat is returned to the position stored in the storage unit.16. The seat control device according to claim 9, further comprising: astorage unit for storing a horizontal position of the first seat whenthe open/close detection unit detects that the door is in the openedstate; wherein when returning the first seat to the original position,the first seat is returned to the position stored in the storage unit.